Thanks for the link. WOW, that price is 50% cheaper than what I found.

 

how much better would or is that than the standard Canon 18-55mm lens that comes with the kit the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 . I'm new to this DSLR also .

 

+1

 

I've read many online reviews about the standard Canon 18-55mm lens and most were poor reviews.

That is why I bought the body only and looking into buying the Sigma lens.

 

Should have picked it up with the kit lense. Its only an extra $80. The kit lense does suck, but its more than enough for a beginner.

Then when you have some idea about photography you'll realize that Vlad is right and buy a decent lense.

I'm not sure how "new" to photography you are, but I'd suggest an intro to photog/DSLR book to teach you the basics. If you have no idea how a SLR works then you're just wasting time and money.

Luke

 

wow, great thread. You guys are awesome with random information.

My girl wants to get an SLR camera and I have trying to figure out which setup would be best for her. I think that I am going to get her the Rebel XTi but I don't have any idea which lens to get. Would the Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens and the Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens be a good combo for her? I wanted to give her a bit of range and the telephoto lens has good reviews at circuitcity.com.

If she gets good and decides to really get into photography I'll buy her better lenses but for now, would this be a good setup?

 

Not that you normally use the telephoto lenes indoors, just keep in mind that 4.5-5.6 stops of light will make if virtually useless indoors.

Whats the f vaule to the 18-55mm lens, I would look for something less then f2.4 to be able to use it in most indoors shoots and maybe buy a ND filter for outdoors

 

Hey MChong the first thing I thought of was when you mentioned no kit lens was a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. But, I believe you want to spend less than $200 first time out. Please consider purchasing http://www.sigma4less.com/shopdata/g...pt?a=CA50F18II Just as mentioned earlier, this is a nice lens for such a bargain. Quick sample shot from this lens http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/4...f80c46.jpg?v=0

 

Those would work well for her to practice on. I still have my kit lens but my Canon 50 f/1.8 is on my camera about 90% of the time and the only time I ever break out my kit lens 18-55 is if I need to take a wide shot. Only problem for wide shots is that the crop factor of 1.6 makes it really a 28-88 lens. She'll figure out what kind of shots she will want to take, give her a couple of months of shooting with your mug as practice. lol My wife is my so called model for my shots...haha

 

They don't call it a ****ma for no reason. I've personally seen Sigma lenses fall apart. I've owned two ****mas and I'll never go back. People told me 'they would be fine', boy that was bullsh!t. The images were very soft unless stopped down 4-5 stops. The autofocus mechanism was LOUD and inaccurate.

[I could probably pull out some images with a ****ma 70-300 and compare it to my Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS if you want to see the difference. Granted, most here with any time of SLR background won't need to see how bad the ****ma images are.

Add in the fact their AF mechanism is loud, inaccurate, & slow. Color replication is poor on the low end models. Images are fairly soft. ****ma does make 3-4 lenses worth buying (ie 70-200 f/2.8, the Bigma 50-500, 24-70 f/2.8, 10-20) but the rest, especially the low end models, are good for paperweights. People are better off using a kit lens, saving up, and going with a mid-range lens.

Nice generalization.

To answer the OP, an affordable set up for a wide angle zoom and telephoto zoom is a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and Canon 70-200 f/4.0L. The Tamron will run you about $400, the Canon about $600. You can save 10-20% buying used. If you can't afford them, save up. If you buy cheap lenses, you'll eventually regret doing it if/when you want to get serious with your photography.

 

That's two recommendations for the Tamron MChong. As far as buying them used you can find good sites on http://www.fredmiranda.com/ and http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ but you have to be members to view the for sale site. Good luck!

 

I am pretty sure that the 18-55mm lens is 3.5-5.6. It's the one that comes with the Rebel XTi camera at Circuit City. What kind of pictures is that lens good for? Outdoor only?

I read about the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 that Ante Up mentioned and people say that it is feels like a toy but it's take quality indoor shots for a cheap lense. I guess I can get that one for her and then if she wants to really get into photography I can invest into better lenses.

I just want her to be able to have the ability to take pictures indoor and outdoor so that she can see if photography is for her.

 

Since the aperture on the kit lens is 5.6 at the longer focal length, it doesn't make for a good low-light lens at the longer focal lengths; it's fine at the wider focal lengths, though it is very soft until it's stopped down to ~ f/5.6.

any prime would make a good lens. just go with a focal length that suits the type of photography. you can start out on the 50 f/1.8 II lens for ~ $75 and move towards other lenses (wide angle, telephoto, macro, etc). Photography isn't a cheap hobby since the lenses and accessories can add up quickly, but, luckily good gear holds its value so they can be resold at only a very small loss. You can use a $1600 Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS lens for two years and still get ~ $1400 for it. Too bad cars don't depreciate that little.

 

regarding gr?'s comments

Am not going to argue with you, most of what you say I agree with, but like I said early people are not happy until they convince someone to spend their life saving on camera equipment.

The point is both people who ask question admitted to being new, a noob will not find the sigma holding them back. I never said sigma were fantastic lenses, but as skill go up, so should your equipment. Equipment before skill is a waste of money and false hope

Great equipment will not hide lack of skill

People new to photography or cinematography focus purely on equipment, disregarding what makes a pro a pro, its simply talent and understanding of composition, rules and techniques.

This is coming from a cinematographer and someone who has done technical advisory work on many films. I dont claim to be an expert or someone who know everything, I get corrected and learn something everyday.

I will however stand by all my previous comments.
Dont waste your money on fancy equipment, when you havent master the basics, much less understand them. Along with most people who claim themselves to be great photographers and need fancy equipment are among the worst out there. --now am not talking about you gr? nor anyone here, I know nothing about you or others, but although I made some general statements, generally its true.


To quote the great photography Ernest Haas "The camera doesn't make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to see"

Also I suggest new people to visit a friends site, although most "pros" photographers like to mock and disregard his articles, I find them truthful
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

 

hehehe... my turn to answer.

it all comes down to budget and budget and BUDGET. How much you want to spend for your lens (regardless of your skill level). I agreed partly with MagicPie about "expensive lens" doesn't mean your pictures will comes out great. It is more about the user (if you know how to use it)

mchong75, getting sigma or tamron or canon lens for your new hobby is fine. Just keep in mind about resell value of the lens. Canon "L" lens can hold their value for a very long time. YOu can use the lens for few years and resell with 10-20% loss only.

welcome to the photography world. It is fun and addictive. Expensive also.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Great picture of the dog.

 

My gf has the 17-70mm of Sigma. F2.8 @17mm

Pretty good imho.

 

+1

Actually, some even increase in value!!! I paid about $160 for that little thingy 50mm mk I, which is about twice the new price for that model. Because the desided to stop making metal mounts, the value for used mk I doubled. The models in $600+ range won't do that, but if you trying to buy a used one - you won't find anything more than 10%-15% off. And if you buy used you can sell for exactly same money or more two or three years later. This is true for all qulity photo equipment.

Try that with Sigma.

It's true that having expensive equipment won't make your photography automatically great. But having good lenses certainly helps a lot! Some of my clients have exact same 30D I use. Always matched with some sh**y sub $200 non-Canon lenses. Still they pay me when they need portraits

 

I finally made one of my lens purchase.

I went with Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC Lens.
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/len...20&navigator=6

Now, I just need to decide on the zoom lens.

Here are some sample pics of other Canon Rebel XTi owners with Sigma lens.

 

^^ MC where did you purchase it from.........post link